


Business Relations

by taichara



Category: Raising Unicorns - Jessica S. Marquis & Kevin Hedgpeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 22:29:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16273673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: A typical day at Emmet's farm and petting zoo, with all that that entails.  (Oh dear.)





	Business Relations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/gifts).



Today was going to be a special day, yes sir. Emmet was up and at 'em with a right good will today, because there was fresh blood coming to the farm and never let it be said he didn't still get hands-on with his critters. 

That said, there was still plenty to do beforehand. First things first. can't let the beasties feel neglected after all, because what happens to the magic then? It dries out like water draining from a tub, and you can't have that. No magic means unhappy critters, disappointed kiddies and seniors, and less money keeping up the farm and the petting zoo. Can't have that, now can we?

His first stop was, of course, the unicorn pastures -- and today he had to make especially sure there were no problems, because the new arrivals were more unicorns and, well, they really could be ornery beasties when they felt like it. Especially the Karmics, and since he was adding to the karma pool as it were, well ... it paid to butter them up. Distributing a pailful of sweet sugary treats should be a good start.

-*-

Ahh, peace and tranquility. That's what he liked to see. The sun was shining -- the herds had had a grand time basking in the sunbeams earlier, he was sure -- and now his unicorns were heads-down in the soft emerald grass, munching away contentedly. The Twinkletoes were blindingly sparkly, the roving bands of Purebreds were making their slow rounds through the pastures, and his handful of Karmics were ... wait.

Wait. There was one missing. 

A cold sweat broke out down Emmet's back. He hadn't had a unicorn escape the farm in years, so what happened to let one --

_: Over here. Come see what I see. :_

\-- Telepathy. Oh, fun. Okay, then. With a sigh, Emmet picked up the pail of treats he'd lugged with him (distributing them to soft waiting nuzzles as he went, of course, he wasn't mean) and followed the nudging in his head all the way to the far side of the enclosure (seriously?), where his stray Karmic was standing beneath the shade of a maple tree. Her legs were ranrod straight, her nostrils flared, and she was staring out over the shimmering fencing like she expected to shoot rainbow lasers from her eyes any moment now. Emmet put the pail down and placed a hand on her withers.

"What's going on, Belle? You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know, and we've got some new faces arriving later. Come on, you know the drill by now."

_: I keep forgetting you can't just know these things. Look over there, at the pegasus paddocks, do you see what I see? Do you see who I see? Because that's what you should see. :_

... Oh, did he ever. Emmet groaned; one of the gryphons was making his royal highness's way into the pegasus paddocks. There was every likelihood, too, with that stealthy yet jaunty twist to his wings, that the clever pard had just one thing on his mind -- and food was no it, oh no. Not even remotely. But Emmet was _not_ in the business of breeding hippogryphs (too dangerous for the mother, besides hardly anyone even heard of them and they were finicky eaters to put any unicorn to shame), which meant he had to get over there pronto.

Belle's nicker in his ear sounded suspiciously like she was laughing at his predicament, and he eyed the unicorn warily, which only prompted a toss of her head (nearly snagging a twig in the fork of her horn), a stamp of one hoof, and a gleam of -- there it was, sure enough -- pure wicked amusement in the red eye closest to him.

_: If you ask me nicely, Emmet dear, I'll get you there in no time. Why, I may even help you get close enough to get him back where he belongs without needing to break out your clumsy flying contraption. :_

Bargaining with unicorn sharpsters was a Bad Idea, generally speaking. Every farmer knew that. But Emmet didn't have much choice -- and besides, he knew Belle was good for it. For all her faux slyness and occasional temper flareups she was grateful to be idling away her days at the farm making kiddies happy, and _not_ being served up on some fat cat's table or coming to some even more humiliating end. (The Mediocre Depression really did pack a punch delivered straight to the mythological animal industry.) With a sigh as rueful, and as for show, as Belle's conniving, Emmet held the half-full pail of sweets beneath Belle's muzzle.

"Your pick for the morning, and I let you having wandering time with the littlest kid visitors after we get your new neighbours settled in. How's that sound?"

_: It sounds perfectly lovely, Emmet my dear. Now, grab on and hold on, won't you? :_

He didn't need to be told twice; the gryphon pard was already making moves on a coquettish pegasus and -- one handful of Belle's mane, two, and then the universe turned itself into swirly rainbow sparkles for a heartbeat and, when his vision cleared, Emmet was clean across the farm and just inside the pegasus paddocks, Belle still standing triumphantly beside him.

This was when his common sense caught up to him and he realized Belle whammied him with magic from the start so he could see the unfolding antics to begin with -- of course she did, the farm was huge. Her nickering in his head at this sudden enlightenment confirmed it. Of well, there were more important things to worry about right that moment --

"Hey! Hey, Aeulos! Just what do you think you're doing in here, anyway? Your queens are going to get jealous, you know, and they'll tear strips out of your fuzzy wuzzy feathery hide --"

Aeulos ignored him; Belle snorted, amused. Pegasi cantered and fluttered out of the way, watching the goings-on with nervous curiosity (and a touch of jealousy here and there, it must be admitted). And Emmet, having an entirely honest sigh this time, rolled up his sleeves, pulled the thin, shimmering golden cords of an enchanted bridle out of the pocket of his overalls, and shot a glance at the gleeful Belle.

"Time for phase two of the bargain, pretty lady. You up for this? I mean, he's ..."

_: A cat with an over-inflated sense of importance. Get on, Emmet, we've got cat herding to do. :_

Well, when you put it that way --

-*-

Riding a unicorn is, by all accounts, a rapturous experience of starlight and rainbows and fluttering butterflies, sunshine and happiness and all that good stuff. Usually, it is; it's why the youngsters love it and Disney wishes it could replicate it. Riding a unicorn is wonderment incarnate.

Riding a unicorn bareback while it teleports around and around like a lunatic through the empty air but still _way_ too close for comfort to a randy gryphon pard annoyed as all get out that you're interfering with his plans for jollies? yeah that's the starlight giving you heart attacks while the rainbows make you want to run screaming once you stop tripping. 

By the time Belle managed to time a warp just right to get safely in range where Emmet was in just the rights pot to sling the bridle onto the furious Aeulos, Emmet was soaked in sweat, Belle seemed ready to kick something, and springing to transfer onto the now-tractible Aeulos' back to guide him down to the ground (and back to his own enclosure) was more like a blessing from heaven itself.

It was on that trip back down from the sky -- Belle waiting impatiently for her sweets, pointedly outside of the paddocks -- that Emmet spotted the jabberwocky slinking behind an outbuilding.

Oh. Oh, no.

It explained a lot but -- oh, no no no.

Why today, of all days?

Belle's snort in his head was almost lyrical.

_: I'll have the most entertaining stories for the new arrivals, now won't I, Emmet dear? :_


End file.
